Designs for ‘The Towers by Foster + Partners’, a new residential development in the heart of Miami, were revealed last week. The tallest building south of Manhattan on the East Coast, it has been envisioned as an elegant addition to the Miami skyline with two landmark towers that redefine how high rise buildings are woven into the fabric of the city.

The building has been designed to make an important contribution to the city at ground level. Instead of enclosing the whole site at ground level within a single mass – normally a car parking podium in most Miami buildings – the building provides two levels of underground car parking, while wrapping the car parking levels above ground with retail functions and dwelling units. This frees up space at the ground level, creating an engaging public realm. By opening up a direct vista from Brickell Bay Avenue to the waterfront, the building draws people to the new invigorated plaza along the sea – a feature the City of Miami champions vigorously. The entire ground level is brought to life by a variety of restaurants, cafes and art gallery spaces, set within a lush tropical garden.

The axis of SE 12th Street is reinforced with the creation of two interconnected towers giving the development a unique transparency, creating visual connections between the bay and the city. The sculpted reinforced concrete structure of the towers has been designed primarily for environmental reasons – shading the apartments within the building whilst maximising daylight – which also gives the building its unique appearance on the skyline. The portals that create shade are expressive of the functions within, giving the building a certain dynamism that is generated by the special Miami light. To mitigate the adverse effects of high winds, along with strategic planting in key areas, the building has special louvres that can be lowered over the central plaza to act as wind breakers. The towers are designed to withstand hurricanes, braced by belt beams that tie them together to ensure stability. These belt beams also support bridge apartments that span across the tower floorplates.

The design of the building is an acknowledgement that architecture is generated by the needs of people – both material and spiritual – and a concern for the physical context, culture and climate of place. The architecture of the building emerges from a synthesis of all these elements that have informed the character of the building: the structure that holds it up; its ecology; the quality of natural light; the symbolism of the form; the relationship with the building to the skyline and the streetscape and the way you move through and around it. This holistic approach aims to redefine the idea of a residential tower in Miami.

Norman Foster, Chairman and Founder, Foster + Partners:

“We share the city of Miami’s vision for increased urban density, and the design of these high-rise towers frees up space on the ground to create a public plaza, with shops, restaurants and art galleries that will serve the local community as well as the new residents in the tower. The base of the building continues the axis of SE 12th Street, drawing life back to the bay. It is a civic response to the city’s enlightened vision, and will make an important contribution to Miami’s public spaces.”

International design and innovation office Carlo Ratti Associati has unveiled the design of a master plan for the Currie Park waterfront of West Palm Beach, Florida, featuring a one-of-a-kind floating plaza that utilizes some of the same technologies employed in the construction of underwater vessels. The project will transform a 19-hectare vacant area on the coast of Lake Worth Lagoon, the narrow sea channel that separates the two cities of West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, creating a major new complex that includes housing, retail, and leisure facilities.

A pair of leafy ramblas will allow people to stroll from the city center of West Palm Beach directly into the middle of the lagoon. Here, Carlo Ratti Associati will build a floating plaza that sits on the water, partly under the sea level, thanks to a system of responsive air chambers similar to the ones used by submarines. The floating peninsula will incorporate a series of public facilities, including an organic restaurant with its own hydroponic cultivations, a circular pool, an auditorium, and a water plaza.

“With this project, we aim to reclaim West Palm Beach’s connection to the natural elements that surround it, and give shape to a vibrant new district that will serve as a creative catalyst for the entire city”, said Carlo Ratti, director of the Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founding partner of Carlo Ratti Associati. “The project also showcases how a new technology allows us to radically redefine the relationship between architecture and water.”

The floating plaza, sitting on the safe waters of Lake Worth lagoon, will be built upon a series of air chambers that automatically open and close, releasing or taking in water according to the number of people that are walking on the surface. “Architecture usually conceives of buildings as separate, autonomous entities, but in this case, the plaza inhabits the water as if it was carved right into it”, adds Ratti: “The water becomes a moving element that harmoniously accommodates the new public space”.

Back on the mainland, the master plan will coalesce around a newly expanded Currie park, which will extend out across the city from its current waterfront location via a pair of leafy ramblas. The project will anchor a new, lively part of the city, featuring residential towers, a pool terrace overlooking the sea, and a retail area that will include a food hall dedicated to organic products. The master plan will also reshape the waterfront’s overall terrain. On the north side of Currie park, where a parking lot stands now, a gently sloping hill will be created, allowing pedestrians to access the area and opening up the view towards Palm Beach’s narrow stretch of land and the ocean just beyond it.

“The Currie park master plan will bring new life to West Palm Beach and serve as a world-class attraction that draws tourists to our city”, says project investor Jeff Greene. “This also builds on the success of our collaboration with Carlo Ratti Associati on West Palm Beach’s new Greene School.”

“For too long, this part of West Palm Beach had its back to the water. Finally our city is about to enjoy a fantastic new public space for all of our citizens – one that will reconnect West Palm Beach with Palm Beach and open up the city to its surrounding natural elements”, says Jon Ward, Executive Director of the City of West Palm Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency.

The project of the Currie Park master plan draws on Carlo Ratti Associati’s long-time research on innovative uses of water in architecture. In 2008, the office designed the Digital Water Pavilion at the Expo Zaragoza, a building with retractable walls made of water that gained international recognition and was named by TIME magazine as one of its “Best Inventions of the year”. The master plan for West Palm Beach was unveiled on October 31th, 2016. Construction will break ground next month and will be completed by 2018, allowing people to seamlessly live in their city – on the ground and over the water.

ABOUT CARLO RATTI ASSOCIATI

Carlo Ratti Associati is a design and innovation office based in Turin, Italy, with branches in Boston and London. Drawing on Carlo Ratti’s research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the office is currently involved in many projects across the globe. Embracing every scale of intervention – from city master plans to furniture design – the work of the practice focuses on innovation in our built environment and daily lives. Noteworthy achievements at the urban and architectural scale include the masterplan for a creative-hub in the City of Guadalajara, the Future Food District at Expo Milano 2015, and the Digital Water Pavilion at Expo Zaragoza – named among the “Best Inventions of the Year” by Time Magazine. Product design projects range from experimental furniture for Cassina, to light installations for Artemide, to responsive seating systems with Vitra. Since 2014, Carlo Ratti Associati has been involved in the launch of two startups: Superpedestrian, producer of the Copenhagen Wheel, and Makr Shakr, developer of the world’s first robotic bar system.

The Rogers Partners / ASD | SKY / Ken Smith Workshop design for a new St. Petersburg pier creates a destination that embraces the pier’s role both as an icon for the City of St. Petersburg and an integral part of the vitality of downtown – a place for tourists and the local community alike, one that honors its history, while establishing a new icon for a 21st century public place.

The New St. Pete Pier is a 13-acre armature of rich, local and destination-based programming adaptable over time as recreation and quality of life grow and change with generations. Activities are diversified through flexible planning and programming that elevates and establishes a sustainable relationship between the natural and built environments. A variety of unique spaces enable active and passive connections to the bay: a coastal thicket, wet classroom, water lounge, tilted lawn, and places for dining, fishing, kayaking, boating and swimming.

A water lounge at the end of the pier – a floating dock with a porous bottom that allows in a small pool of bay water – becomes a place for people to dip their feet and kids to safely splash around. The breakwater calms the water and creates more suitable environments for marine animals and plant life. The one-acre coastal thicket offers opportunities for new microecologies, created as part of the pier’s educational center, which includes 300 linear feet of new, artificial reef.

Hydraulic modeling will allow for the production of calmed water and a naturalized beach frontage, enhancing both recreational use and seagrass habitats. The design reconnects the pier to the daily life of downtown St. Petersburg, tying into transportation and recreation systems such as bike paths, jogging trails, parking locations, and public transit systems. It also overlays new transport options such as the Looper Trolley and a potential high-speed ferry.

The New St. Pete Pier provides a variety of experiences for all to enjoy and will become a true destination, where visitors can make multiple trips and always discover something new. It can be successful for generations because it can be rich in use now, in twenty years, in fifty, and in seventy-five.

The plan for this 5,500 square foot private residence located along the Intracoastal Waterway is influenced from by the views, the irregular pie-shaped lot, the requirement that garages cannot face the street and the need to locate a septic field on the property. All of these criteria influenced the plan and geometry of the home, and one of the most prominent features is the cantilevered second floor at the front façade.

On the site, there is a very clear distinction between public and private spaces. From the street the front entry is concealed behind a wood fence which provides privacy from the street. There is an intimate fire pit area tucked off of the entryway. Once inside the house, all of the common areas all have a view of the pool, which has a continuous negative edge around the entire perimeter and the Intracoastal Waterway beyond. The master bedroom on the second floor has a large private balcony facing the water. The guest bedrooms on the second level are separated by the main staircase which is enclosed by a skylight and horizontal louvers above. All of the guest bedrooms face north and open onto a shared balcony. The entire building is clad with a white limestone, which the same material is used throughout for the interior and exterior flooring.

All of the louvers and trellises are constructed with a material called Resysta, which is a sustainable, synthetic wood material made from rice husks. It is also guaranteed not to fade or discolor for 15+ years, which eliminates the need for staining and sealing. Due to the home’s orientation the Resysta louvers are used on the south and west facades to shade the large glass openings. A multi-zone ducted split system allows the temperature in each room to be controlled individually, which allows for energy savings. Other energy efficient features of the home are the use of LED fixtures throughout the home, spray foam insulation, energy star rated appliances and a white reflective roof membrane.

This former garment factory in Bethnal Green had previously been used as a commercial office before being converted into a large open plan live/work unit nearly ten years ago. The challenge: how to retain an open plan arrangement whilst creating defined spaces and adding a second bedroom.

By opening up the enclosed stairwell and incorporating the vertical circulation into the central atrium, we were able to add space, light and volume to the main living areas. Glazing is used throughout to bring natural light deeper into the floor plan, with obscured glass panels creating privacy for the fully refurbished bathrooms and bedrooms. The glazed atrium visually connects both floors whilst separating public and private spaces.

The industrial aesthetic of the original building has been preserved with a bespoke stainless steel kitchen, open metal staircase and exposed steel columns, complemented by the new metal-framed atrium glazing, and poured concrete resin floor.

In Lake Nona Medical City – a global destination for health care innovation in Orlando, Florida – a new era is unfolding with the GuideWell Innovation Center.

The Innovation Center is the latest addition to Lake Nona Medical City, a 650-acre life sciences campus, built by Tavistock Development Company, which is already home to some of the nation’s top hospitals, universities and research institutions.

Our unique atmosphere is an ideal location for companies that are creating game-changing health care diagnostic, treatment, and monitoring solutions that help improve health across the spectrum of life science, medical device, health care IT and other disruptive technology fields.

In this video, we take a look at the unique architecture in place that helps to inspire new dialogue between the brightest minds in the medical field. We sit down with members of GuideWell Innovation as well as the architect & interior designer and discuss the thought process to it’s design.

Palm Coast Paradise is a beautiful coastal home situated on one of the most amazing lots in all of Palm Coast. This 3 story home over overlooks the ocean as well as the final 3 holes of a world famous golf course. The style is a mix of coastal & Mediterranean with unique custom finishes in every room. Each floor captures the views of the ocean with panoramic commercial windows not normally seen on a residential home. This is a home filled with details that easily can go unnoticed unless you really pay close attention.

When you are building in Florida, you are buying the waterfront, the views, & nature. In this coastal style home created by Steve Murray Homes & Studio G Homes, every room takes full advantage of views of Sarasota Bay and the surrounding area.

Upon entering the home, you are immediately aware of your surroundings as you enter directly onto views of the pool and the water features beyond. This home incorporates contemporary design elements such as organic materials in an open-space concept. This home creates a sense of warmth & comfort as the materials seem to hug you around every turn.

Come take a tour of this elegant home as Gail Carlson Brundage & Steve Murray discuss the unique nuances that make it special.

When it comes to modern interiors with a touch of “zen”, it doesn’t get much better than this. Shelly Preziosi does it again with her brand new interior creation “Modern Muse” in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

From the moment you enter, you know you are experiencing more than just a home…but rather a work of art. You can’t help but stand open-jawed as you appreciate the volume of space in the gathering area. While following the general principles of modern design, Shelly makes her unique mark with colorful artistic pieces that really “pop” when given the home’s unique museum-like characteristics.

Take a tour of one of the most unique homes Chibi Moku has ever filmed to date in this one-of-a-kind structure that is sure to inspire your dream home!

Reaching the Green Building Council’s “Platinum Leed” level is no easy feat. In this Key West inspired home by Italian based design team “Tollot & C”, we explore the unique aspects a home designed to such high standards.

Not only is this home environmentally friendly, but it uses unique material sourced mostly from Italy including wood floors, ceilings, & furnishing. When you walk through this home, your notice something different on the senses (other than the eyes). The smells and touch of this home are something that cameras cannot capture, but really make it something truly special to live in.